HSC : One Early Morn2
by Basileus
Summary: Andromeda Black is visited by a hiccuping, sobbing, Alice in her dormroom. [Yes, I suck at summaries] Rating for language.


Hufflepuff Study Circle 1 : "The Talk"

_All characters belong to JK Rowling. I'm only borrowing 'em for a while. Except for Cynthia Stafford. Cynthia is mine. :3_

_Just a note, Alice Longbottom's maiden name was created by me, and Andi's middle name was just my guess._

_And this is my first fanfic, so I might have miscalculated the ages of Andi and Co. So, please don't be too harsh._

_Thank you to rabbit and -v-Jinx-v, for inspiring my story by writing Slytherin Study Groups._

_Reviews are appreciated greatly!_

Inside the ground floor of the sleepy Hufflepuff dormitories, on an early Saturday morning, Andromeda Black was awakened quite rudely by her shrill and shrieking **Alarm Clock**. Flailing with all four limbs, knocking down a nearby tower of books and a cold mug of coffee, she bolted upright and punched the _Annoying Nuisance_ quiet.

Surrounded by bits of Rubbish and piles of Other Things [such as parchments, teddy plushies, and Honeyduke's Finest Pepper Imp Bags and Ice Mice Boxes, the momentum of the famous _**'Dromeda 68 Punch**_ bashed it straight through a stack of old transfiguration homework and out the curtains with a tremendous _OOOMF-thunk_.

Yanking said curtains open with _Early Morning Crankiness_, and retrieving her _Annoying Nuisance_, Andromeda did not notice an extra lump detach itself from the carpet floor until it stirred.

"Aaaaaaaandiiiiiii…" The pale and tear-streaked face of Alice Corwin wept silently.

Andromeda was suddenly feeling very apprehensive.

"Alice?" She squeaked out, after two or three tries.

"Oh, Andi!" And Andromeda Black found herself with an armful of trembling Alice wailing at the top of her voice.

"Shhhh!" She hissed frantically, flapping her one free hand at her face, signaling for _**Absolute Silence **_while feebly patting her on the back.

She wished Alice wouldn't make such noise. She shuddered to think of what Cynthia Stafford, who was notorious for her fiery temper, would do if woken up at _**the Ungodly Hour of Eight**_. Now that she thought of it, why did she set her clock up so early anyways?

A caterwaul of, "Andiiiii!" Bought her back onto Earth.

"What's the matter, Alice?" She whispered, trying to sound kind and calm. Or as kind and calm as someone who was woken up at the crack of dawn and mauled by a sobbing Hufflepuff could anyways. "And do quiet down, won't you?" She tacked on, hoping it would work. The supposedly sound-proofed four-poster curtains of Cynthia Stafford were shifting suspiciously, as if the occupant was stirring.

"It's F-frank." Alice hiccupped, dabbing at her eyes with a bit of her nightgown.

Bewildered, Andromeda stared. What did Longbottom have to do with anything? Oh wait… "Boyfriend troubles?"

At the words, "boyfriend troubles", Bertha Jorkin's head from two beds over shot up with superhuman speed.

"Do mine ears detect possible additions to the _Hogwarts GrapeVine_?" Bertha cackled, peering through her four-poster.

"Go back to sleep, Jorkins." Andromeda sighed while shielding Alice from view by shifting over a few inches. "It's nothing."

After a few moments of staring at Jorkin's suspicious acne-spotted face, Andromeda pulled out her wand [walnut, unicorn, 11 ¼ inches and waved it in her general direction. That did the trick, as the Gossip retreated back into her bed, not wanting to risk a _Black Dark Hex_ so early in the morn.

"C'mon, Alice, let's talk here." She heaved the shaking girl onto her bed, kicking over a column of Potion manuals over, and spelled the curtains shut.

Cleaning a few empty pink Droobles wrappers from her fluffy yellow and black quilt, she and Alice sat opposite each other, one sniffling, one bemused.

When a couple minutes of strained silence, punctured periodically by Alice's snuffle-hiccup-sniffs, did nothing, Andromeda unsquashified her copy of _Flesh-eating Trees of the World_, opened a container of Cauldron Cakes, and listened to Alice stuff herself with comfort food as she started reading the second chapter.

She felt very, very worried. A girl making that much noise as she ate, was _**Not A Good Thing**_. It usually meant liberal amounts of waterhosing or furious rages. She was willing to bet it was the waterhosing.

Alice finished the box in an unspurprisingly quick time, she noted, and watched her gaze around her sanctuary with wary eyes over the dusty, yellowed pages of _Flesh-eating Trees of the World_. Andromeda watched her take in the piles of books and parchment, and candy remains, quirk an eyebrow at her teddies, and linger over _Magick Moste Evile _[borrowed from Cynthia during one of her rare good moments, _The Healer's Helpmate_ [also borrowed from Cynthia and _Numerology and Grammatica _[Cynthia's again. Why the girl wasn't put in Ravenclaw….

"I n-never—" Hiccup. "Figured you as a bookworm." Alice picked up _Quintessence: A Quest _[Propery of Cynthia! and cracked opened a page.

"They're not mine, they're Cynthia's." Andromeda drawled, jerking a thumb over her shoulder vaguely in her direction. "I'm too lazy to go to library so she let's me borrow them."

"You enjoy these?" Slightly skeptical look, squinting at the book.

"Yes, I do!" Andromeda huffed, and reached into her cupboard-in-the-wall to extract a can of Instant Coffee and two mugs. Just because she was a Hufflepuff didn't mean she was an airhead like that idiot Jorkins. Or, even worst, that conceited git Lockhart, who was an embaressement to Slytherin and Hogwarts in general.

Apparently, there was too much venom in her voice, because Alice hiccuped not once, but _five_ times in a row, like a wonky toy soldier with the Voice Charm wearing off. Hic. Hic. Hichic_hic_.

"Sorry, Alice, I haven't had my coffee yet." Andromeda explained, softening under her friend's frightened look.

Turning her back on the blonde, she dumped a large amount of powder, suger, and water into her cauldron, lit a fire, and waited for it to heat up.

And waited. And waited.

Feeling Alice's eyes on the back of her skull, Andi hurriedly poured a portion of the mixture into a mug her cousion Sirius had given her as a birthday present: a lurid purple mug enblazed with a big, black **Grim**. She added a few dollops of Fortescue's Best Cream into the mixture and shoved it into Alice's hands.

After hearing her take a few sips, she took out another, even more worn mug. As the coffee and dried dandelion stalk was plopped in, Andromeda watched the enscription **Torjours Pur**emerge from the bottom rim, encircling the dark blue mug in gold.

"So, Alice…" She sipped her drink, slightly nervous. And hoping that Alice wouldn't burst into tears all over again. "Frank's giving you trouble?"

Alice choked mid-sip, hacking and eyes watering. "Whuh?"

"Alice?" Andromeda prompted, and took a gulp of coffee. She had a feeling she was going to need it. One does tend to need large amounts of coffee when the dealing with _**Teenage Angst and Drama**_ her friends spouted off.

"W-well…" Another sip. "It's Frank."

"Yeeees?" She exhaled slowly.

"Frank's been so confusing and f-foreign—" Only Alice could use words like "confusing and foreign" in the middle of _**Teenage Angst and Drama**_ conversations. Honestly.

"Go on." Ye gads, the talk was slow. She grimaced inwardly. She wished Alice could hurry up and get to the point. If Jorkins was up and puttering about…the horror.

"He's my boyfriend now…since, since a w-while…" Blush. Lowered eyelashes.

Eeeurgh. Andromeda drained her mug and hoped to the _Heavens Above_ that Alice hadn't come to her bed for her to help with _**Romantic Matters**_. They were an utter and complete waste of time in Andromeda Walgura Black's opinion.

"And…" Alice sipped daintily at her cream-coffee again, looking down at the **Grim**.

"And?" Andi asked, just a tad impatiently. C'mon, get on with it.

"And…" Alice tittered a moment, coloring a deep red color. Andi did not have a _**Nice Feeling **_about this.

"And he wants to take it to the _Next Step_." She continued breathlessly.

After a prolouged silence. "So…" Andi offered, puzzled. She had seen plenty of couples snogging and groping in the hallways and rooms of Hogwarts [particularly in the Astronomy Tower.

"And…and…" Alice gulped audibly. "I wanted you t-to explain…" She licked her lips nervously.

Andromeda fixed a wolf's star on her friend, patience fried beyond repair. "Hurry up, dash it!"

"Whatarethebirdsandthebees?" Alice blurted out abruptly.

"Pardon me?" Andi gasped out, _Terribly Horrified_, and _**Not At All Happy**_.

"I asked Professor Sprout about the _Next Step_, and she told me something about the birds and the bees." She said, innocence shining from every fiber of her being, blonde hair askew.

Andromeda's heart stopped beating for one full moment as she stared haplessly down at her friend for a _**Long, Horrible Pause**_.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Her yell broke the silence and woke up a groggy, but articulate Cynthia Stafford one bed over.

"SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" Was bellowed from next door as Andi's **Torjours Pur **mug bounced off the bed, sploshing 3rd year's Potions notes with coffee and landed upside down on the dormitory's carpeting.


End file.
